I got this as a gift right when it came out in late 2005 and of course still have so much to read -- and re-read. Wow, wow, wow, could you possibly geI got this as a gift right when it came out in late 2005 and of course still have so much to read -- and re-read. Wow, wow, wow, could you possibly get more talent and virtuosity in one collection? Truman Capote, Dorothy Parker, Mailer, Updike, Anne Sexton, James Baldwin, Woody Allen, Hendrick Hertzberg, Junot Diaz, and on and on and on......more

I'm a big fan of his work but had no idea this book included some of his last poems, so thanks to Juliet Cook for putting it on her list where I saw iI'm a big fan of his work but had no idea this book included some of his last poems, so thanks to Juliet Cook for putting it on her list where I saw it. 'Can't wait to read this. In my opinion his "Healing the World from Battery Park" is one of the best poems ever written. It's hard to fathom what he may have written had he not died so tragically young. 'So grateful he left us so many, including these.

it's a good reference book, but as poetry goes, it's very uneven because 1)it's an anthology and anthologies usually are pretty inconsistent, and 2)itit's a good reference book, but as poetry goes, it's very uneven because 1)it's an anthology and anthologies usually are pretty inconsistent, and 2)it's an anthology of the most-anthologized poems, originally written in english, of all time, so it's more-or-less the book of the all-time favorite in-english poems of the non-poet masses, and that includes mostly a lot of people who don't read a lot of poetry. so, you know, it's the usual suspects. so it's that whole 'when it's good, it's superb, and when it's bad, it's just nauseatingly awful' kind of thing.

in summary, good as a reference book, but it'd make most poets or serious readers of literary poetry sick, and i definitely would NOT recommend it as an introduction to poetry. this is the kind of book that turns people off from poetry, gives people a distorted concept of poetry and what many different kinds of poetry are actually out there....more